A recent partnership between Yingling Aviation and Ortega Aviation Services (OAS) will provide a new avenue for flight training at the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower Airport (KICT)—a flying club for the large MRO/FBO’s significant employee group.
As of this week, Yingling will subsidize a portion of training for its personnel—including ground school and aircraft rental—towards a private or commercial certificate, and/or an instrument rating.
“This is an exciting partnership between Yingling Aviation and Ortega Aviation Services. Putting together a Yingling Aviation Flying Club for our employees has been on the list for a while,” said Andrew Nichols, president of Yingling Aviation, in a statement. “We’ve been waiting for the right partner and are thrilled that Ortega Aviation Services can satisfy all our needs. From rental to discovery flights, to training in simulators, and their modern aircraft fleet, I can tell you our employees are excited and ready to get flying!”
Celebrating Three Years
Launched in the fall of 2019, OAS owns and operates a fleet of two G1000-equipped Cessna 172 Skyhawks, a G3X Piper Pilot 100i, and a G1000-equipped Diamond DA42 Twinstar, and they’re all available for student training. The company offers single- and multi-engine ratings, and makes use of its Frasca AATD configurable simulator, a G1000 simulator, a G1000 Legacy and NXi systems trainer, and a Garmin cross-country training simulator.
“We certainly value our relationship with Yingling and are excited to grow our partnership beyond the care of our OAS fleet,” said Teresa Ortega, managing partner of Ortega Aviation Services. “Building a successful flying club to help pilots realize their dream, and further enhance the future of aviation in the Wichita community, is a privilege we are very proud to be a part of.”
While flight schools holding out to the public have been somewhat off and on at airport over the past 20 years, the flying club concept has been successful at KICT—and it’s one that the principals at OAS have expertise in, given their background as former members and instructors at the Cessna Employee Flying Club, also based on the field.
Founded by Kirby and Teresa Ortega, who have more than 60 years of combined aviation experience to their credit, OAS offers not only primary training but also advanced turbine training in Cessna Citations and Caravans, Hawkers, and Beechcraft jets. With their boutique approach to flight training, the team is well poised to craft a flying club experience tailored to a specific business, which may be the way that training is best able to work on Wichita’s largest commercial airport.
